A Survey on Control Methods for Virtual Coupling in Railway Operation

Abstract

In order to meet the rapid growth of railway transportation demand, the technology that can improve its capacity has been widely concerned. Virtual Coupling (VC) is a new technology to improve capacity by decreasing headways between successive trains. Its basic principle is to control the train formation operation in coordination with the goal of keeping the same speed under the support of data transmission technology such as train-to-train communication. Our paper first reviews the existing theoretical research on train formation operation control, which is divided into four categories: train following, feedback control, optimal control and computational intelligent method. Secondly, by reviewing the related projects in Europe and China, based on the scenario analysis method, five general scenarios and two emergency scenarios in the whole process of VC operation are sorted out. Then, an original, complete list of performance indicators (PIs) is proposed for evaluating the performance of VC in different scenarios. Additionally, the paper gives a brief insight into VC operation by providing an adequate context to understand the proposed PIs.

Implementation of a Model-Oriented Approach for Supporting Safe Integration of GNSS-Based Virtual Balises in ERTMS/ETCS Level 3

“…In fact, allowing the train localization to be realized onboard rather than by means of trackside equipment, GNSSbased positioning systems enable reducing the equipment along the track with direct savings in terms of infrastructure installation and maintenance costs. Moreover, a substantial capacity gain is expected since efficient operation modes can be implemented, such as FMB, FVB, or virtual coupling [60], [61]. Besides, thanks to the benefits brought by the deployment of GNSS-based localization solutions, the economic viability of certain regional railway lines can be restored, hence preventing their closure.…”

Railway Virtual Coupling: A Survey of Emerging Control Techniques

“…The classification breakdown used in this paper is based on the authors' research experience and also limited in number for the convenience of paper discussions. Xun et al [15] also provided a classification of VC controllers, including train-following control, feedback control, optimal control, and computational intelligent control. Our controller review and classification are more detailed.…”

“…With recent advances in those areas and the driving forces from the pursuit of higher capability, flexibility, and modularity, the European initiative Shift2Rail included Virtual Coupling research into its strategic master plan in 2015, which sparked a lot of research in this area [10][11][12][13][14]. Xun et al [15] provided a list of projects that were recently funded all around the world. VC can significantly reduce train operation headways [16] to increase line capacity [17].…”

A hierarchical control approach for virtual coupling in metro trains

“…Thus, to provide more frequent train services and increase line capacity, VC employs this principle and has been widely studied in recent years, for example, preliminary analysis for technical feasibility (Flammini et al, 2021) and review work for VCTS (Q. Wu et al, 2023;Xun et al, 2022).…”

“…Compared with the traditional one, the relative‐braking‐distance‐based principle can shorten the following distance while maintaining safety as shown in Figure 3. Thus, to provide more frequent train services and increase line capacity, VC employs this principle and has been widely studied in recent years, for example, preliminary analysis for technical feasibility (Flammini et al., 2021) and review work for VCTS (Q. Wu et al, 2023; Felez & Vaquero‐Serrano, 2023; Xun et al., 2022).…”